In U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,565 it is pointed out that most dogs enjoy chewing on a flavored object although preferences vary as to the hardness. Some dogs like to chew on very hard materials such as cow bones, wood, nylon, while others prefer softer chews such as polyurethane or rubber while still others favor freeze dried snacks. Some dogs, due to their age, may not be able to chew on very hard substances. Young dogs have insufficiently developed teeth, while old dogs may have diseased gums or may have lost some of their teeth.
Applicants' assignee, T.F.H. Publications Inc., has previously developed an edible dog chew that is wholly digestible, nutritious and maintains a texture or hardness which is individually adjustable by the application of heat to suit a wide variety of a dog's preferences or needs. Such dog chews utilize a mixture containing primarily casein and are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,200,212 and 5,240,720.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,565, owned by the common assignee of this Application, there is disclosed a process for making a heat expandable dog chew comprised primarily of potato starch granules and an attractant which may be injection molded to form the chew. Attractants recited include chicken powder, liver powder, ham, turkey, beef and or fish. Natural vegetable additives such as spinach or carrots also may be added. The resultant mixture is molded under heat and pressure into a desired form, such as a dog bone. The dog bone so produced can be modified in texture or hardness by subsequent heating, preferably in a microwave oven.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,978, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,565, and which is owned by the common assignee of this Application, there is disclosed a dog chew having natural fruit flavor to increase the dog's appetite for such chew. Such fruit flavored dog chew may also include natural food coloring to enhance the attractiveness of the chew to the dog owner. The food coloring may also correspond to the fruit flavor, and the dog chew disclosed therein may also embody a breath sweetener for a dog such as mint, spearmint, peppermint or wintergreen and may also include parsley. The preferred form of such edible chew maintained the basic ingredient of a heat-expandable starch, such as potato starch. Fruit flavoring may be added to the granules of a mixture of potato starch, water and calcium carbonate along with natural fruit flavorings.
Attention is also directed to the following United States Patents and co-pending applications, commonly owned by the assignee herein: U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,069; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/923,070 filed Sep. 3, 1997, entitled “Vegetable Based Dog Chew” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,427; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/738,423 filed Oct. 25, 1997, entitled “Edible Dog Chew” now U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,565; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/784,834 filed Jan. 17, 1997, entitled “Carrot-Based Dog Chew” now U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,197; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/888,611 filed Jul. 7, 1997, entitled “Vegetable Dog Chew” now abandoned; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/114,872 filed Jul. 14, 1998, entitled “Heat Modifiable Edible Dog Chew” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,161; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/138,804 filed Aug. 21, 1998, entitled “Improved Edible Dog Chew” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,978; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/116,070 filed Jul. 15, 1998, entitled “Wheat & Casein Dog Chew With Modifiable Texture” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,110,521; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/116,555, filed Jul. 15, 1998, entitled “Heat Modifiable Peanut Dog Chew”, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,441. In addition to such patents and applications, attention is also directed to the art cited in said patents and applications, as such art relates to the field of molded starch products.
In addition, the prior art has recently grown considerably to include a variety of other disclosures directed at flavored pet products. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,383 entitled “Use of Valerian Plant and/or Root as a Scent-Attractant for Stimulating Canines and Felines”. This patent discloses the use of the herb/plant Valerian in all of its forms whether whole or in part, for use in food product, in such a manner that the natural aroma emitted by the Valerian plant will act as a scent/attractant for dogs and cats.
Other earlier examples of such products are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,334 to Axelrod (nylon substrate containing liquid flavor and odor components) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,773 to Axelrod (polyurethane toy containing aqueous-based flavor and odor components). U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,557,219 and 4,513,014 to Edwards disclose the use of flavorings in a molded polyurethane chew objects.
With regards to the processes for forming such dog chews or toys, thermoplastic (plastication) processing is well known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,565, entitled “Process For Making An Edible Dog Chew”, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,516, entitled “Method Of Molding Edible Starch”, both commonly assigned to the assignee of the present invention and included herein by reference in their entirety, describe molding conditions for making such chews. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,274,182, entitled “Animal Chew”, also commonly assigned and included herein by reference, describes process conditions for injection molding starch-based animal chews, while U.S. Pat. No. 6,200,616, also entitled “Animal Chew”, is directed at an animal chew made from molded fruit chips by injection or compression molding.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 7,087,260, entitled “Animal Chew Toy With Flossing Ribs/Projections”, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,916,497, entitled “Health Chew Toy”, both commonly assigned to the assignee of the present invention and included herein by reference in their entirety, are directed at forming chews/toys by injection molding.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,063,868, entitled “Method Of Removing Molded Natural Resins From Molds Utilizing Lifter Bars”, commonly assigned to the assignee of the present invention and included herein by reference it its entirety, describes a multi-cavity injection mold which further includes an ejector plate including a lifter bar for removing molded natural resin parts from the multi-cavity mold.
Accordingly, it is an object herein to improve further upon Applicants' earlier disclosures regarding animal chews and methods of forming such using thermoplastic molding processes employing multi-cavity molds. Further, it is an object of the present invention to form a chew or animal toy in a multi-cavity mold wherein the cavities to form said chew are arranged in series, thereby reducing the amount of regrind or offal produced. This may result in a more efficient molding process operating at lower cost.